Senate helps out specialty license plates backers

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The Senate voted Tuesday to give groups with lagging specialized license plate requests more time to reach the required 500 orders to keep them as viable offerings.

Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, said some groups are splintered throughout the state and have difficulty rallying to achieve big orders. He said SB48 would afford the groups  like the Rotary Club  a chance "to give it another shot" and get more plates issued.

It passed 26-2.

Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, who voted against the measure, said about half of the 32 specialty license plate groups have fewer than 500 requests and some haven't even reached 10 requests. He said "some will probably never meet" the 500 threshold required to keep the state issuing them.

Plates offered by the state range from those commemorating snowmobile riders to ones illuminating causes like the fight against cancer or honoring military personnel. They typically have a $10 fee attached to ordering them and require an annual contribution to the group or cause.

Under the law, groups must show three consecutive years of reaching the 500-plate mark. The Knudson proposal would grandfather in groups that put in for specialty license plate requests prior to Jan. 1, 2012.